Fuel filtration systems remove various particulate and water from fuel prior to delivering the fuel to an external system, such as an internal combustion engine. The water separated from the fuel is stored in the fuel filtration system for periodic or continuous discharge from the fuel filtration system. Prior to the discharge (e.g., into the ambient), the water may be passed through an active carbon filter. An exemplary fuel filtration system is described in U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2011/0041920, entitled “AUTOMATIC DRAINING SYSTEM TO DRAIN FLUID FROM A FILTER,” which is herein incorporated by reference in its entirety and for all purposes.
A fuel filtration system of the above described existing design is shown in FIG. 1. The fuel filtration system of FIG. 1 includes at least three different solenoid valves: an air valve 10, a fuel valve 20, and a water discharge valve 30. The air valve 10 and the fuel valve 20 are positioned on a housing casting 40 of the emissions device. Additional valves may be included in emissions devices attached to the fuel filtration system. During operation, fuel is passed through the fuel filtration system. The fuel may contain water, which is removed or substantially removed by the fuel filtration system. The filtered fuel is then provided to the system (e.g., to an internal combustion engine) through a filter outlet. The fuel solenoid valve supplies fuel to an emissions after-treatment system (e.g., for periodic burn offs of particulate matter captured in exhaust after-treatment systems). The separated water is passed through an activated carbon filter 50 to remove trace fuel from the separated water. The separated water is periodically or continuously removed from the fuel filtration system through the water discharge valve 30. The water is discharged through manual operation (e.g., by a technician) or automatically based on sensor feedback from a water in fuel (“WIF”) sensor 60.
The above described fuel filtration system's water removal system includes a dedicated water discharge valve, a WIF sensor, and a dedicated water treatment filter (the activated carbon filter). These components add cost and complexity to the fuel filtration system. Further, the fuel filtration system may require manual activation of the water discharge valve, which requires operator time and possible engine downtime.